Wrestling

Wrestling Honors Seniors, Team Award Winners at Banquet

May 09, 2014

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown wrestling team honored its seven seniors at the 2014 team banquet at the Brown Faculty Club on Thursday and handed out seven individual awards at the conclusion of the first season under Head Coach Todd Beckerman.

Freshman Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) received the Artemis Joukowsky Award as the team's most promising freshman. Staudenmayer went 15-17 in the 157-pound weight class as a rookie and opened up his collegiate career with five straight wins.

Junior captain Ricky McDonald (Carson City, Nev.) was named the Most Improved Wrestler after fighting his way to a seventh-place finish in the 174-pound weight class at the EIWA Championships. A Second-Team All-Ivy honoree, McDonald ranked second on the team in wins with a 20-15 record.

The Ralph Anderton-Edward Durdin Award was presented to freshman Ryder Cavey (Eldersburg, Md.) as the wrestler who performed the best under pressure. A Second-Team All-Ivy selection in the 285-pound weight class, Cavey earned one of the most crucial victories in recent Brown wrestling history, prevailing 7-2 on Feb. 8 to clinch the Bears' first win over Penn in 20 years, dating back to the 1993-94 season.

Sebastien Levin (Amenia, N.Y.) took home the Rob Davidson Most Dedicated Wrestler Award, given to the wrestler who showed the most dedication to the team on and off the mat.

The Don Van Heest Award, given to the wrestler who fought back from adversity, went to senior Philip Marano (Northampton, Pa.). A winner of 14 matches in 2014, Marano battled through numerous injuries during his career to become a mainstay at 165 for the Bears.

Senior captain Cortlandt Choate (Orwigsburg, Pa.) received the Marvin Wilenzik Award, given to the wrestler who gave the most back to the University.

The Michael T. Wallace Award, presented to the team's most valuable performer, went to junior captain Ophir Bernstein (Allen, Texas). Brown's first All-American wrestler since 1998, Bernstein placed eighth overall at the NCAA Championships in the 184-pound weight class. An Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection, Bernstein finished the season with a 36-11 record, just one win shy of tying the Brown single season record.